Manifest Destiny
by That Mysterious Figure
Summary: The people of Panem are ready to look to the future and forget the past. But the past isn't ready to forget them. Fallout 3/post-Mockingjay Hunger Games. Originally a one-shot.
1. Chapter 1

The people of District 3 hadn't had much excitement since the Revolution. Slowly over time they grew accustomed to their uneventful but fulfilling lives. So when the crowd of people on the beach heard the buzzing noise, speculation quickly began to be debated. At first, most people conceded it must be a flock of birds. But as the birds drew closer, others suggested they were hovercraft. Both parties were half right.

* * *

><p>In District 13 hunting had become a popular sport. In addition to being beneficial to their new society, it gave a liberating feeling of freedom to the people who had lived their entire lives underground. One day a hunting party heard a noise they had not ever heard in the wilderness before. It was not unfamiliar however; it was a sound they had grown quite accustomed to in their days underground. It was marching.<p>

* * *

><p>They had finally cracked the code. Finished the work their ancestors started. Indeed, Sigma Squad's discovery would be a great asset in Operation: Reunification.<p>

The order was given, and the machine was started. As it powered up, its great voice boomed to the crowd before it.

_Liberty Prime is Online._

* * *

><p>The decision was controversial, but orders were orders. And in the end, the mutants would prove to be more of an asset than a liability. Besides, their role as cannon-fodder would make them all the easier to exterminate once the job was finished.<p>

The officer entered the password into the rusty yellow panel before quickly retreating to the safety of his Vertibird, and for the first time in over 200 years, the great door of Vault 87 was opened.

* * *

><p>The yellow and metal invaders cut swiftly and quickly through their opposition. But for Plutarch Heavensbee, it was not the mutants and soldiers who frighten him most. It was not even the giant robot that managed to survive every bomb the Panem Air Force could drop on it. What terrified him was a radio signal, with a message only a historian such as himself would understand, and thus fear.<p>

"Greetings, my fellow Americans. I am your President, John Henry Eden. And I'd like for us to have a chat."


	2. Chapter 2

_COMMUNISM IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF FAILURE._

This, Thomas Matthews of District 6 thought to himself, is not what I signed up for.

The idea behind the Panem Armed Forces, or PAR, was that they would take up the jobs of the old Peacekeepers, of course this time actually having the safety of the citizens as a priority, as well as protect the entire country from outside, foreign, alien, and other threats.

Giant invincible robots were not on that list.

_ALASKA'S LIBERATION IS IMMINENT._

What the hell was it babbling on about anyway? Alaska? Communism? This shit was Heavensbee's job to figure out, yet the only orders they have received from Command were "Stop it."

_COMMUNISM IS A TEMPORARY SETBACK ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM._

"Tom! Tom!"

Thomas turned. "Phillips?"

Phillips motioned to him. "They've erected a force field around the town proper. We've been given orders to fall back."

Despite his previous misgivings, Thomas cocked his head at this. "We're retreating?"

Phillips grinned. "On the contrary, we're advancing! To future victory! Come on!

Thomas took one glance back at the robot.

_DEMOCRACY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE._

Than he ran for his life.

* * *

><p>Once all personnel were within the force field, a bubble as opposed to the usual overlapping walls, they activated it. Thomas turned to Phillips. "You're sure the robot won't be able to penetrate this?"<p>

Phillips shrugged. "This is the most powerful force field the Capitol ever manufactured. If this doesn't stop it, nothing will."

The robot didn't arrived for several more minutes. When it did, it stopped. It looked confused.

Cheers started to erupt from the crowd.

_OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. COMPOSITION: TITANIUM ALLOY SUPPLEMENTED BY PHOTONIC RESONANCE BARRIER. PROBABILITY OF MISSION HINDRANCE..._

The robot grabbed hold of the two nearest poles that were maintaining the force field. Electricity began to spark all over its body; the force field pulsated blue, and then-

It disappeared.

_ZERO PERCENT._

Thomas simply stared at the robot while the cheers in the crowd turned to terrified shrieks. He knew he wasn't getting out of here alive. None of them were.

_COMMUNISTS DETECTED ON AMERICAN SOIL. LETHAL FORCE ENGAGED._


	3. Chapter 3

"_You know what amazes me, Colonel Autumn?"_

"_What, sir?"_

_"That after all these years, centuries since the fall of man, the works of Shakespeare, Aristotle, Einstein, are all lost." The compartment under the ZAX AI's main screen opened to reveal a Panem rifle._

"_Yet our weaponry endures and evolves."_

* * *

><p>"The President will see you now."<p>

Gale Hawthorne, escorted by the metal men he now knew as Enclave soldiers, was marched into the control room of the Raven Rock facility, where "President" John Henry Eden would meet him in person.

"Just up those stairs." One of the soldiers gestured to a set of stairs spiraling a pillar of technology in the center of the room. Gale gave a grunt of acknowledgement and began to ascend.

He was surprised to find that there wasn't a man at the top.

"Over here," said a voice.

Gale turned but saw nothing but a computer screen.

"President Eden, I presume?"

A chuckle. "Yes, and before you ask, no, I am not transmitting my voice to you from another location."

"You're a-"

"A computer? Yes, a ZAX AI mind you, one of the finest computers ever built by human hands."

"And you lead this… Enclave?"

"Yes. A few years ago, after making contact with my Enclave brethren aboard the former Poseidon Energy oil rig, I ran against former President Dick Richardson in the Presidential Elections. Naturally, I won, based on my promises to restore the great country that was and will be the United States of America. The conquest of your people will all but assure my reelection for a second term. Of course I do admire your quaint little nation of, Pan-em, was it?"

Gale nodded, fists clenched, unable to speak out of rage.

"But naturally, this is American land, it has been for centuries whether you knew it or not, and it only makes sense, it is only logical, that we restore the great nation that once encompassed these lands. That is what we, the Enclave, were formed, were destined, to do. We would be happy to assimilate your people, if they would only surrender-"

Gale couldn't take it anymore. "We were doing just fine before you showed up and brought war to us, us who had enjoyed the first peace we had had in decades. You haven't 'restored' anything, you have only destroyed, and this land and these people would be better off if you and your people had stayed in this hole, and on your oil rig, and just leaved us alone!"

Eden was quiet for a moment, either processing this information or simply dumbstruck, until he spoke again, this time in a low and dangerous voice.

"Your civilization," he drawled, "if you can even call it that, is advanced in technology but primitive in mind. You are imitators, not innovators. Everything you have is based on the leftovers of America. You cannot even imagine the potential of humanity, let alone attempt to fulfill it. To let your people rule would be to let the progress of America, the progress of humanity, go nowhere. Be nonexistent. You think we were not watching your petty civil wars, your frivolous 'Hunger Games?' The Enclave is not your damnation, Gale Hawthorne, we are your salvation. We can bring greatness to this country again, from sea to shining sea. And if you resist that, respond to our gift of leadership with violence, we will counter appropriately. I have already been generous in giving you the opportunity to surrender, to allow you parasites to prosper in a New America, and I see now that was a waste of my time. I have nothing more to say to you, Gale Hawthorne. Enjoy your time in your cell block."

As the guards came in and dragged Gale away, he shouted one last question at Eden.

"Who will populate your 'New America' Eden? Surely you Enclave do not have the numbers to rebuild an entire civilization from the ashes of another. You can't kill us; you need us!"

If John Henry Eden had a face, he would have smiled.

"That my friend," he shouted back, "is a problem the good people at Vault-Tec have already provided a solution for."


	4. Chapter 4

~ WELCOME TO VAULT-TEC HEADQUARTERS ~

/NEGOTIATING WITH USER [ENCLAVE_SIGMA_SQUAD]

/PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD

/PASSWORD ACCEPTED

/USER CLEARANCE LEVEL: 5

/DOWNLOADING VAULT LOCATIONS [ALL]...

/COMPLETE

/ACCESSING PROJECT SAFEHOUSE FILES

/ACCESSING PROJECT LEADER LOGS

/BEGINNING FILE…

NOW THAT THE WORLD ACTUALLY SEEMS LIKELY TO BE COMING TO AN END, THE [SOCIETAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM] HAS BEEN CANCELLED, AND ALL VAULTS ARE CURRENTLY BEING RETROFITTED TO MIMIC [101], EXCEPT FOR [87], WHICH WILL CONTINUE [F.E.V.] EXPERIMENTATION DUE TO THE INSISTENCE OF THE [ENCLAVE]. BRAUN HAD TO BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY DUE TO HIS REFUSAL TO ALLOW [112] TO BE ALTERED. EITHER HE HAD HIGH HOPES FOR HIS VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR OR HASN'T BEEN AS TRUTHFUL WITH US ABOUT HIS MOTIVES AS WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. NEVERTHELESS WE WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.

SPEAKING OF BRAUN, THE LAB BOYS AT [FUTURE-TEC] GIVE THE EARTH ABOUT FOUR MORE MONTHS UNTIL THINGS REALLY GO TO SHIT. NOT THAT IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SURVIVE OUT HERE, BUT IT SURE AS HELL WON'T BE PLEASANT. I FOR ONE AM GLAD I'LL BE RIDING OUT IT ALL OUT IN [VAULT 0], EVEN IF IT IS GOING TO BE WHERE I DIE. WHO KNOWS, MAYBE THE [ENCLAVE] WILL SEND OUT THE [CODE GREEN] SIGNAL WHILE I STILL HAVE A FEW GOOD YEARS LEFT.

CURRENT DATA SUGGESTS THAT IS UNLIKELY HOWEVER, IT COULD BE HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE [CODE GREEN INITIATIVE] IS CARRIED OUT. OH, HOW I WISH I COULD SEE THE WORLD AS IT WILL BE HUNDREDS OF YEARS FROM NOW, EVEN IF IT IS SIMPLY WHATEVER PRIMITIVE SOCIETY THE REMNANTS OF HUMANITY CAN REBUILD. STILL, IT'D BE A FASCINATING TOPIC FOR STUDY, AND I'M SURE MANY A RESEARCH PAPER WILL BE PUBLISHED AFTER THE DESCENDENTS OF THE CURRENT VAULT INHABITANTS REBUILD THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WITH VAULT-TEC TECHNOLOGY. WHICH REMINDS ME, I MUST ENSURE THAT ALL THE VAULTS RECEIVE AT LEAST ONE [GARDEN OF EDEN CREATION KIT]…

/ADDITIONAL DATA REQUIRES SECONDARY PASSWORD

/PROCESSING…

/PASSWORD ACCEPTED

/CONTINUING FILE…

IF YOU'RE READING THIS IT MEANS YOU'RE THE ENCLAVE PERSONAL DESIGNATED TO INITIAL [CODE GREEN], WHICH WILL SIGNAL ALL VAULT OVERSEERS TO OPEN VAULTS [1-122]. IF YOU WISH TO CARRY OUT THIS COMMAND, PLEASE ENTER THE CORRECT PASSWORD.

/PROCESSING…

/PASSWORD ACCEPTED

/WARNING: CONTINUATION OF [CODE GREEN INITIATIVE] WILL PROMPT THE OPENING OF VAULTS [1-122]. DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE? Y/N

/[CODE GREEN] SIGNAL SENT

/THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING VAULT-TEC

/HAVE A NICE DAY

* * *

><p><strong>VAULT 72<strong>

Vault 72 Overseer Franklin Samosa was in his office, approving or vetoing proposals made to him by certain high-ranking Vault inhabitants. It was a practice his predecessor had started and he wasn't a large fan of, due to it meaning a larger amount of paperwork. Still, it gave him something to do when he was bored, and it kept people in the vault happy, so there was that.

A beeping from the computer behind him interrupted his vetoing of a proposal to change Vault-Tec educational material, as it was a strict violation of Vault-Tec protocols. He turned and entered his password into the computer. Unfamiliar text appeared on the screen.

/CODE GREEN SIGNAL RECEIVED.

/PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD [137259] INTO COMPUTER NOW.

Samosa entered the series of numbers, wondering what the hell "Code Green" was.

VAULT [72] OVERSEER [FRANKLIN SAMOSA].

YOU ARE INSTRUCTED BY ORDER OF VAULT-TEC TO FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING SET OF INSTRUCTIONS, AS PER THE CODE GREEN INITIATIVE.

1. PREPARE ALL VAULT INHABITANTS FOR EVACUATION PROTOCOL 0012 [SPEED RECOMMENDATIONS MAY BE OMITTED].

2. RETRIEVE [1] G.E.C.K. FROM LONG-TERM STORAGE SECTION.

3. OPEN VAULT DOOR.

4. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM [ENCLAVE] PERSONNEL.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

Franklin stared blankly at the text, reading it again and again until his brain finally accepted it. Time was up. They were leaving the vault.

This would mean a **hell **of a lot of paperwork.


	5. Chapter 5

**VAULT 41**

The beeping of Alexander Jones' computer woke him from his Med-X-induced sleep. He turned to it in surprise. His computer didn't beep anymore, since the split it had only beeped when the security staff loyal to him sent him an update on the status of the front line, and at this point the fighting was so close to his office usually an officer was simply sent down to report.

He entered his password and the following numerical password as prompted. A message appeared on the screen. At first he didn't believe it. This news was fantastic! He began to feel like his old self again, though that could just be the Med-X wearing off. Before he even knew it he began scheming. Even if he didn't have the support of the majority of the Vault, he **was **the Overseer, which is all the Enclave would care about. Perhaps they could help him retake his Vault.

Ignoring the first two steps, the evacuation protocol would just be seen as a trick and the G.E.C.K. could be retrieved later, Alexander began the Door Opening Procedure, at the same time programming a message into the Vault 41 Emergency Broadcast System. Yes, he thought almost hysterically to himself, he certainly did feel like his old self again.

* * *

><p><strong>VAULT 64<strong>

Victor Sampson was speaking with Security Chief Martin when he heard a beeping form his office. "Excuse me," he said on his way out of the Security Office.

He typed in his password and was surprised at the following prompt. He was even more surprised at the message that followed it.

In a sudden display of anger he shut off the monitor. He had spent years, YEARS, corrupting the Security Team, waiting, watching for his moment to strike, then overthrowing the previous Overseer and establishing himself as the current, dealt with numerous rebellions until he had been forced to quarantine almost the entire Vault, only to have his computer give a "beep" and tell him these damned "Enclave" wanted him to throw it all away?

He pressed a button on his desk. "Chief Martin? Bring Engineer Lawrence out of quarantine and have him check the Vault Door Locking Mechanism."

"Yes sir."

Victor proceeded to sit there, seething. Nobody would take his newfound power from him. Nobody.

* * *

><p><strong>VAULT 103<strong>

Michael Ramirez was sitting in his office, looking over the latest damage reports. A few decades ago an earthquake caused the cave systems in the mountain the vault was built into to shift, and in some cases, collapse. All sorts of problems had arisen because of this, the worst being a section of the vault actually breaking off and falling into a cave below them due to unexpected erosion of a support beam a couple of years back. Things couldn't of been worse if it was a pre-retrofitted Vault 53. At this point he was surprised the reactor hadn't shut down.

A beeping from his computer interrupted him. He turned with a groan, expecting some new catastrophe. He typed in his password and was shocked to see an unfamiliar screen. Maybe the reactor HAD shut down. He entered the prompted numeric code and a message displayed on his screen. He read it. Then he read it again.

They were leaving the vault?

Michael let out a chuckle, and then he began to laugh, which soon changed to crying.

The nightmare was over. The door of Vault 103 was to be opened again.

They were free.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Capitol**

Allan Sanchez was not a brave man.

He had been just an ordinary resident of the Capitol when the Revolution occurred. An owner of a small cosmetics shop, he hadn't cared about politics or rebellions or anything like that during Snow's reign. He still really didn't. Hell, he hadn't even found the Hunger Games incredibly entertaining, at least not as entertaining as some of his peers.

During the Rebel invasion he had hidden in his basement for weeks. Allan might not have been brave, but he was smart. He lived comfortably down there, scared but comfortable, with plenty of supplies until a knock at his front door brought him upstairs to come face-to-face with a Rebel soldier, from who he learned a new government had been established.

Allan was just glad his shop was alright.

But this was different from the last invasion. For one, the propaganda. The New Panem Government had by now completely abandoned the airwaves, leaving them completely open to a man by the name of "John Henry Eden." His "chats" with the people of Panem were crazy, delusional, but he listened anyway. It was because of them he now knew their adversaries were called the "Enclave," their flying machines called "Vertibirds," and their giant robotic demon called "Liberty Prime."

The second change between the two invasions was the atmosphere.

During the last invasion the general air of the city was annoyance, due to shortages of goods. Of course, most of the population had been far dumber than Allan. He had recognized the threat right away, which is why he was so prepared for lying low in his basement for a little while, until the whole thing blew over. It was only during the actual invasion that the general populous came to their senses and felt something, an emotion many of them had never experienced before.

Fear.

Fear was rampant now, however. The Enclave has ripped through the country in mere months, more slowed by their own limitations than the resistance of the Panem Armed Forces. Now they were mere miles from the city, and Liberty Prime had been sighted among the invasion force.

Unlike the old rebellion and its fighters, the Enclave was known to show no mercy, no compassion, and rarely accept surrender. The fates of those who had surrendered to them successfully were unknown, making it an unlikely choice for the city's defenders no matter how bad the situation would get.

Allan mulled all this over this his basement, where he was once again taking refuge. He was far less calm this time however. He reached for his coffee and tried to take a sip, but his hands were shaking so bad he ended up spilling it on his pants. With a curse he went upstairs, threw his pants in the washroom, and put on some new ones.

He was about to go back into his basement when there was a knock at his door. He cursed again, and after some hesitation decided to open it.

In front of him stood a PAR solider. He was young, in his early 20s Allan imagined, easily 10 years his junior. The man's face was dirty, and his blue eyes shown through the muck as they gazed upon Allan.

He spoke. "Sorry to bother you sir, but my commander has us going house-to-house trying to recruit more people to defend the city. We need all the manpower we can get."

Instinctively Allan shook his head. "Sorry son, but that is definitely not the job for me."

He was afraid the boy would press on with his efforts, but instead he simply said, "Disappointed to hear that, sir. Sorry to bother you," and continued to the next house.

* * *

><p>Back in his basemen Allan was more jittery than ever. The soldier boy had been gone for a half-hour, yet Allan still found his thoughts drifting back to him. The encounter bothered him, for some reason.<p>

_You're ashamed, Allan. Ashamed of your cowardice._

Allan shook his head, ignoring the voice in his head that he vaguely remembered was referred to as his conscience.

_What's the matter, Allan? Feeling down? After all, you were just visited by a guy 10 years younger than you who will be out risking his life to defend the city in a few days, many even a few hours, while you hide down here in your basement._

Despite himself Allan couldn't help but argue with the voice.

"I'm not a soldier! I'm not cut out for being a soldier! The only thing I would accomplish out there is ensuring a speedier death for myself."

_Excuses, Allan. You know who have what it takes; you're just too afraid to go out there and join the real men, the ones who will lost likely die to defend those who cannot fight, the young, the old, the sick, the injured._

_The cowardly._

Allan let out a roar of frustration and hurled the lamp next to him into a wall, shattering the lamp and sending the room into darkness.

With nothing left to do, Allan sunk to his knees and cried.

* * *

><p>The outskirts of the Capitol were alive with a flurry of activity as defenses were set up in anticipation of the Enclave attack. Soldier Lawrence was helping to stack sandbags across one of the city streets. As he stood straight and wiped the sweat from his brow he saw a familiar face in the distance. The figure grew larger until Lawrence recognized the man proper. He saluted and said, in a far more confident voice than before-<p>

"Allan Sanchez, reporting for duty, sir."


End file.
